Looking Back: The Davis and Elkins Appalachian Ensemble

We just finished off a great year at Mountain City Traditional Arts and have another fantastic season lined up. When looking back on the incredible performances of this past year the one that springs immediately to mind is the multiple days of workshops and performances held by the Davis and Elkins Appalachian Ensemble at MCTA in mid November.  On the first day at MCTA the ensemble string band and dancers performed following a presentation on community dance led by Becky Hill and focusing around clips from the documentary "Reel Em In Boys, Reel Em," a film produced by the Mountain Dance Trail. On day two the ensemble held a harmony singing workshop, an instrument workshop focused on playing for dancers, a clogging and flat-footing workshop, and finished off the evening with a community square dance. Each event was incredibly high energy and the ensemble members were full of talent and motivation for participating community members. We are incredibly thankful to the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation for making this traditional arts exchange possible. For those of you who missed seeing and experiencing this fantastic ensemble the video above and pictures below should give a look into their vast talent and the fun we had with these events. The video also highlights the ensemble's performances at the Frostburg State University Appalachian Festival in September.